Addressing the 44th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, President Erdoğan said: “The loss of lives of 17 thousand innocent Palestinians, most of them children and women, is a crime against humanity, a war crime. Israel mustn’t get away with the crimes it has committed.”     President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the 44th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council held in Doha, Qatar. “TÜRKİYE’S TRADE VOLUME WITH GULF COUNTRIES REACHED 23 BILLION DOLLARS” Noting that Türkiye’s trade volume with Gulf countries increased by 13 fold in the past 20 years and reached 23 billion dollars as of last year, President Erdoğan stated that the restarting of the negotiations for the Türkiye-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement and the immediate implementation of the Agreement will further increase the trade volume. President Erdoğan said: “Türkiye preserves its status as being a safe harbor for international investors. I would like to note that we stand ready to provide our brothers and sisters, who trust in the Turkish economy, with any support needed. We have achieved a very significant momentum with our brothers and sisters in the Gulf region in the area of defense industry. The latest incidents have proven how important and strategic our cooperation in this area is.” “OUR STANCE IN THE GAZA CRISIS HAS SET AN EXAMPLE” Reminding that they have shown their solidarity with the Palestinian people through the Extraordinary Joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League held in Riyadh, President Erdoğan stated: “Our common stance in the Gaza crisis has set an example in terms of addressing our problems as the regional countries. It is important that we follow up the decisions taken at the Summit. The Foreign Ministers Contact Group has held talks in several countries. They will continue their meetings. We appreciate Qatar’s efforts for the brief temporary humanitarian pause and exchange of prisoners of war. Of course, we wanted this pause to turn into a lasting ceasefire, but it did not happen. The Israeli administration is jeopardizing the security and future of our entire region in order to extend its political life. The loss of lives of 17 thousand innocent Palestinians, most of them children and women, is a crime against humanity, a war crime. Israel mustn’t get away with the crimes it has committed. We as Türkiye increasingly maintain our humanitarian aid to the region. We have thus far sent 12 planeloads and 2 civilian shiploads of aid supply to Al Arish. We have ensured the evacuation of the injured, first and foremost cancer patients and children, to Türkiye. Our priority is the immediate announcement of a lasting ceasefire and the ensuring of an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid.” “With the latest developments, the importance of the formation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with Al Quds as its capital, has once again been seen. To that end, we have announced that we, with the countries in the region, stand ready to assume any responsibility, including guarantorship. We should not allow the oppression in Gaza to turn into a regional war that will include Syria as well,” President Erdoğan stressed. “NECESSARY CONDITIONS SHOULD BE CREATED FOR THE VOLUNTARILY AND SAFE RETURN OF SYRIANS” Underscoring that the biggest obstacle before Syria finding stability is the separatist terrorist elements, PKK/PYD/YPG in particular, that threaten Syria’s territorial integrity and unity, President Erdoğan went on to say: “We expect all our brothers and sisters to be on the alert against these terrorist organizations efforts to legitimize themselves. We aim for a political resolution on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 for the Syrian conflict. Also, the necessary conditions for the voluntarily and safe return of Syrians should be created. We call on all actors to cooperate to that end.” Following the Summit, President Erdoğan met with leaders during a luncheon.